1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge, and more particularly to a hinge that has a simple structure and low cost for use in a portable device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable devices such as cell phones, notebooks and pocket gaming devices are widely used these days. Some of these portable electronic devices are foldable to make the devices more compact for convenient carrying.
A conventional foldable device has two separate casings and a hinge. The casings are connected pivotally to each other through the hinge so the foldable device can be opened or closed. The hinge is mounted between the casings and has a body, a spring, a shaft, and a C-shaped clasp. The body is hollow, is mounted in one of the casings and has a cavity. The spring is mounted in the cavity of the body. The shaft is mounted rotatably in the cavity in the casing and has an inner end and an outer end extending out of the body and mounted to the other casing. The clasp is mounted in the cavity in the casing and rotatably grips the inner end of the shaft to prevent the shaft from falling out of the body.
However, a hinge with a clasp has a complicated structure, so assembling the hinge is more time consuming and costly.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a hinge for a portable device to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.